Scraper attachment for fish-cleaning machines.



B. R. BmERLY L E, H. wAuGH. SCRAPER .ATTACHMENT FOR FISH CLEANINGMACHINES.

l APPLICATION FILED APR.29| |916.'-

"1,223,468. Patented Apr. 24,1917.

4 SHEETSSHEET I.

offre! B. R. BHIEHLY 64 E. H. WAUGH. SCRAPERVATTACHMENT FOR FISHCLEANING MACHINES.

APPLlcATloN man APR.29. 191e.

1,223,468. 'Patented Apu-24,1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

gf/WK@ M.

. R. BRTERLY @L E. H. WAUGH.

SCRAPER ATTACHMENT FOR FISH CLEANING MACHINES.

` l APPLICATION FILED APR. 29, IBIS. 1,223,468.v Patented Apr. 24,1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

" E N N B. R. BRIERLYEL E, H. wAuGH.

scm-Pen ATTACHMENT Flo FISH CLEANING MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED AEIL29|ISIS.

1,223,468-V Patented Apr. 24,1917.

: 4 4'S`HEETS-SHEET 4.

wfg/W@ UNITED srArEs vPATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN R. BRIERLY AND EDWARD H. WAUGH, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTQN, ASSIGN-ORS TO SMITH CANNERY MACHINES COMPANY, 0F SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, A

CORPORATION or WASHINGTON.

sonArER A''r'rAom/LENTA ron rrsH-CLEaNING li/LAonINEs.y

Appii'vation mea april 29, 191e.` serial N9. 94,498.

To all whom z't may concern Be it known that we, BENJAMIN R.

BRIERLY and EDWARD H. WAUGH, citizens of the United States, andresidents of the city of Seattle, county "of King, State of wWashington,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Scraper Attachmentsfor Fish-Cleaning Machines,of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to fish cleaningI apparatus, and consists of an'apparatus to be attached to fish cleaning machines, having for itspurpose the thorough cleaning of the visceral cavity after the same vhasbeen opened up by other `mechanism and roughly cleaned.

The object of our invention thoroughly clean the inside surface of theside walls of this cavity, so that later hand t v leys 51 which-areconnected by means of cleaning may be avoided.-

Our invention comprises the ynovel parts and combinations of parts,which will be hereinafter described and then particularly defined in theclaims.

In the accompanying drawings we have shown our invention in the form ofconstruction which is mostpreferred by us. We are however, aware thatmodifications of this structure in detail may be made, and that suchmodifications will be capable of producing good results. kwWhatevermodifications fall within the scope of the terms contained in our claimsare intended to be coveredby us. y l

Figurelis a sidel view of our device, showing a fragment ofthe frame andother parts of the assembled machine upon whichk it is mounted, thelatter being partially in section. c

Fig. 2 is a section taken'vtransversely to the path of movement of thefish.v they frame and one part vof the cleaning: mechanism being shownin section.

Fig. 3 is a plan view ofour cleaning devices, shovffing .only the"brackets 'of the frame, from which'the device is mounted.

Fig. 4 is a section of one of our devices on a larger scale, showing afish being operated upon.A

Fig. 5 is a face view on a larger scale of a segment of one of thecleaning disks.

Fig. 6 is a section through apart of one of these cleaning disks. y

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective illustrating the relationshipbetween the grooves and the holes of the scraping disk. t

Fig. V8l is a kface view of a portion of one of the guard plates, andFig. 9 is a trans- This machine in the form"of construction hereincontemplated, employs frame parts which are herein clearly indicated bythe reference character 6, said frame being provided with guide ways 60,which return upon themselves to make a closepath, and which are engagedby guide wheels or pullinks4 61, so asr to form vany endless chainpassing about the entire length of the guide ways. 'These chains areprovided with fish holding points 5 which may Slide axially in shafts'O,upon which shafts are rotatably secured wheels '51. Pins 5 are movedinward and outward yas may be necessary to engage and disengage thefish, through the engagement of cam rollers y62 with cam tracks 63. Asthe fish holding and carrying mechanism is, in detail, not part of ourpresent invention, we do not think it necessary to further describethese parts. It is sufficient to say that the fish are moved lengthwisethrough a predetermined path, and' that thel apparatus which forms ourpresent invention is mounted in position to engage thev fish as theypass.

As a. base for the support of the apparatus 4which forms our presentinvention, two shafts 19 are journaled'in' brackets or arms 7,theseshafts extending parallel with the chosen portion of the `path oftravel .of the fish. yThey are herein shown as beneath the machine,this' being, however', only incidental to the other features ofconstruction the machine. This shaft is in reality a frame member of theattachment, and upon this is journaled the sleeve 14, which sleeve is arotative member, being in its function a hollow shaft.

The longitudinally extending driving shafts 19 are provided with bevelgears 18, which mesh with bevel gears 17 secured to the adjacent end ofthe hollow shaft or l@ sleeve 14. Two devices of like character andconstruction, but projecting from opposite sides of the machine, andhaving their parts engaged in opposite relation are employed. Adescription of one will apply 1i5 to the other.

Upon the end of the hollow shaft or sleeve 14, which is toward thecenter line of the machine, is mounted a rotative scraping disk 1. Thisdisk is preferably concaved 2@ so as to approximate toward the shape ofthe interior cavity of the fish. The convex side of this disk faces awayfrom the end of the shaft 14, which is toward the drive shaft 19.

This scraping disk, has its outer or convexed surface roughened, or soformed as to form a flesh scraping surface, for engagement with theinner wall of the visceral ca vity of the fish. The preferred mannerofsecuring this scraping surface, is to provide the disk with grooves,of preferably a triangular cross section, as is shown in Fig. 7 thebroad surface 10 facing outwardly, while the surfaces 11 approximatetoward a perpendicular to the face of the disk. The position of thesesurfaces is such that the perpendicular surface 11 faces in thedirection in which the disk is rotated, whereby the outer angle joiningthe two surfaces acts as 4o a dull scraper to engage the side of thefish, and clear it of all particles which should be removed.

To further assist in the action of the device, the grooves are providedwith holes 12 passing through the disk, these holes being placed so asto extend to the edges 11, and also that the holes in successive groupsare in staggered relation, as is clearly seen in Fig. 5. This providesmeans for the convenient escape of any substances removed by thescraping edges 11, thereby making the device promptly and effectivelyself clearing. It may be noted that the scraping surface of the diskoperates a little short of the extreme outer edge of the disk, and thattherefore the bottom median section of the cavity will not be cleaned bythe device as herein constructed. This particular part of the cavity isintended to be operated upon by another and independent device.

To prevent the possibility of excessive scraping of the interior surfaceof the fish, we have provided a shield which protects the fish from theaction of the scraping disk,

' 65 except in limited sector of its revolution.

This guard or shield 2, is a thin metal disk, shaped to conform to theouter shape of the scraping disk, close against which it fits. Tt

is provided with openings as 23, 24 and 25, and may be adjusted so as tobring any one of these three openings into operating position.

The provision of a plurality of openings in this disk, and theiradjustment as de-. scribed, is merely one means for adjusting the sizeof the opening, and thereby varying the amount of action of the scrapingdisk upon the fish, This adjusting feature migl'lt be dispensed with orsecured by other means. 1t is a desirable feature as the extent to gowhich it is desirable to subject the fish to the scrapino' action willvary with the condition of the fish. 'If the fiesh of the fish is firmand hard, it will stand a heavier scraping than if the flesh of the fishis soft. 35

These changes in the condition of the fish are produced by the conditionat the time they are caught by the length of the time which may haveelapsed since they were caught, and by the conditions to 'which they 90may have been subjected to since they were caught. The larger openingsmay be used when the flesh of the fish is firm, the middle sized openingwhen the flesh is somewhat softer, and the smallest opening when thefiesh is quite soft. While we have shown three openings in the number ofopenings to be used will depend upon circumstances and the ability toget them within the area of the guard shield.

Upon the swinging end of the shaft 26 is secured a member 3, which isprovided with two upwardly projecting and separated arms 8O and 31,these arms being placed before and facing the fish at the point where itis acted upon by the scraping disk. These arms carry spring guides 32,which engage with the outer surface of the fish in its passage, and holdit conveniently toward the scraping disk. These spring presser feet, asherein shown, consist of fiat bars of spring metal, which are secured toone of the arms, as 30 and are bowed toward the fish, the outer endextending to an engagement with the other arm 31.

A supplemental guide 22, which is preferably shaped as a sector of adisk similar to the guard disk 2, is secured by its outer edge to theouter edge of the disk 2, and engages the opposite inner wall of thevisceral cavity of the fish in passing. This supplemental guard 22 isnot a scraper, but is simplyintended to merely hold the fish in place,and to prevent the material which is scraped off by the disk 1, frombeing thrown out into contact with the opposite wall of the fish whereportions thereof might strike.

The scraping devices as above described are mounted so as to havevarying movement toward and from the fish, in order to 130 automaticallyaccommodate fish of different sizes. The `hinging of the shaft 26 uponthe driving shaft 19 is with this object in view.

vThe swinging end of thek device shouldbe spring supported in a mannerto hold it upward ortoward the sh. The manner which wethave shown foraccomplishing this result consists of .providing the member 3 with anarm 33, which at its outer end is provided with a slot 34 through whichpasses a threaded rod a, the upper end of which is-secured to the mainframe 6, vand upon which, beneath .the arm 33, is placed a coil spring42. The tension of this spring may be adjusted by a nut 4:1, screwedupon the lower endv thereof. Theupward movement of the device may belimited by means of `lock nuts 4.1.0 screwed upon bar 4 above the arm33.

In operation the fish are carried by means of the points 5, which engagethe fish from the opposite sides so as to be moved lin the directionindicated by the arrow in Fig. l. The fish has previously had the headremoved, yand has been slitlengthwise a suflicient distance along themedian lower .line to open up the visceral cavity, and hasalso had thiscavity roughly cleaned. As it reaches the present device the sides ofthe fish will be separated so as to passvon opposite sides of the guardshields 2 and 22, or willoccupy the position shown in Fig. 4. As itpasses the two devices of the kind described,-first, one side and thenthe other, will be thoroughly scraped and cleaned.

What we claim as our invention is:

l, `A scraping-,device for fish comprising a rotative member having anexterior'scraping surface and a shield therefor permitting the freepassage of the fish thereover, and having an opening exposing a portionof said scraping surface.

2. A scraping device for fish comprising a rotativek member having anexterior scraping surfaceand a shield therefor havingv a v plurality ofopenings of dierent size, and

adjustable to thereby control `the area of the scraping surface exposed.f-

3. A scraping device for fishcomprising rotative scraping member havinga grooved exterior surface and a shield therefor having aplurality ofopenings therein, of different size and adjustable to thereby controlthe exposed area of said scraping surface.

l. A Vscraping device for fish comprising a rotative scraping member,having projecting ribs extending in ageneral radial direction and aseries of holes' located each in advance 'of a rib, and a shield forsaid scraping member having kan opening exposing a limited area of thesurface of .the scraping member.

5. A scraping device for fish comprising' a rotative scraping member,having a roughened exterior surface and a series of holes therethrough,a shield for the scraping meinber having a plurality of holes ofdifferent size and adjustable to thereby control the working area of thescrapingsurface.

6. A scraping device for fish comprising a disk-like rotative member,having one face radially grooved to form scraping edges and perforated'in advance'of said scraping edges to form .discharge channels for thematerial scraped ofi'.

7 A scraping device for fish comprising a rotative member, having itsworking face grooved to form scraping edges and perforations in saidgrooves to form discharge openings, and occupying staggered positions inconsecutive grooves.

8. A scraping device for fish comprising a rotative member, having itsworking face provided with grooves of triangular cross `sectionextending transversely of the direction `of movement of thescraping'surface, and perforations in said grooves forming dischargechannels for the material removed.

9..A device for cleaning the visceral cavity of fish, comprising arotative disk convexed to fit against an inner wall of said cavity andhaving its convex surface roughened, .and a stationary shield ttingclosely against the roughened surface of said disk and between saidsurface and the fish, and

`.provided with an. opening through which lthe scraping surface of thedisk may act, the

surface of said shield being unobstructed and permitting free passage ofthe fish thereover.

10. A device for cleaning the visceral cavity of fish, comprising arotative `disk convexed to fit against an inner wall of said cavity andhaving holes therethrough forming scraping edges, and a shield coveringportions of the scraping' face of the said disk, the surface of saidshield being unobstructed and permitting free passage of the fishthereover.v

11. A device for cleaning the visceral cavity of`fish, comprising arotative disk convexed to fit against an inner wall of said cavity andhaving holes 'therethrough arranged in radial rows, the holes ofsuccessive rows being staggered. f

12. A device .for cleaning the visceral cavity -of fish, comprising arotative disk f convexed to' fit against an inner wallof said cavity andhaving grooves in its convexed surface extending between inner andouterl 14. A device for cleaning the visceral cavity of fish, comprisinga rotative disk convexed to fit against an inner Wall of said cavity andhaving its convex surface roughened, and a shield plate closely fittingto the roughened surface of the disk and having a hole therein exposinga section of the scraper disk, the. outer surface of said shield platebeing unobstructed and permitting the free passage of fish thereover.

15. A device. for cleaning the visceral cavity of fish, comprising arotative disk convexed to fit against an inner Wall of said cavity andhaving its convex surface roughened, and a protective plate for saiddisk having openings therein of different sizes and means for adjustablysupporting the protective plate to bring the selected opening toregister with the fish.

16. A device for cleaning the visceral cavity of fish, comprising arotative disk convexed to fit against an inner Wall of said cavity andhaving its convex surface roughened, and a complemental non-rotativeplate adapted to engage the opposite Wall of the visceral cavity.

17. A device for cleaning the visceral cavity of fish, comprising arotatively mounted disk having a scraping side face, a protective platecovering the scraping face and having a hole therein limiting thecontact area of the scraping disk with the sh, and a guide plate securedto the protective plate and extending over the back side of the scrapingdisk to engage the other side Wall of the visceral cavity.

18. A device for cleaning the visceral cavity of fish, comprising arotative disk having a scraping surface on one side, a protective platefitting closely to this scraping face and having a hole therein exposinga section of said face, and a guide engaging the opposite side Wall ofthe visceral cavity.

19. A device for cleaning the visceral cavity of fish, comprising arotative scraping disk, a front shield therefor having a plurality ofholes of different size through which the scraper disk may act upon thefish, means for adjustably supporting the shield to determine the sizeof the opening to be used, and a buck shield adjustably supported fromthe front shield and adapted to have guiding engagement with side Wallof the visceral cavity opposite that acted upon by the scraper disk.

20. A device for cleaning the visceral cavity of fish, comprising arotative disk having a scraping side face, a shield having Workingopenings covering the scraping face, a frame upon Which the scrapingdisk is journaled and from which the shield is supported, and springpresser fingers supported from the same frame and engaging the outersurface of the sh opposed to Said shield and Scraper disk,

21. A device for cleaning the visceral cavity of fish, comprising ascraper disk adapted to engage the inner Wall of said cavity, and ashield protecting the scrapingV face of said disk except in an areaWhich extends transversely of the path of movement of the fish, andmeans for adjusting the size of said exposed area.

22. A device for cleaning the visceral cavity of fish, comprising arotative disk having a scraping side face, a shield protecting the fishfrom the major part of said scraping face, a pair of arms having asupport common with the shield and extending to positions opposite itsscraping face and separated lengthwise the path of travel of the fish,and spring presser bars secured to one of said arms and having slidingengagement with the other.

23. A scraping attachment for fish cleaning machines, comprising arotative shaft extending transversely of and with one end adjacent thepath of travel of the fish, a frame in which said shaft is journaled, a

pivot support for one end of said frame per- 'f said shaft, a shieldpartly protecting the scraping face of the disk, and supported from theframe, and spring held presser members carried by said frame andengaging the fish to hold it toward the scraper disk.

2li. A scraping attachment for fish cleaning machines, comprising ashaft having a vertically pivoting support at oneend and constituting aframe for the attachment, a yielding support for the swinging end, asleeve rotatively mounted on said frame shaft and constituting a drivingmember, driving means connecting With the pivoted end of this sleeve, ascraper disk secured to the swinging end of this sleeve, and spring heldpressers carried by the frame shaft in position to engage and hold thefish toward the scraper disk.

25. A scraping attachment for sh cleaning machines, comprising a shafthaving a vertically pivoting support at one end and constituting a framefor the attachment, a suspension rod for this frame, a stop limitingmovement of the scraper attachment toward the fish, and a springvsupporting the attachment from the suspension rod, a yielding supportfor the swinging end, a sleeve rotatively mounted on said frame shaftand constituting a driving member, driving means connecting with thepivoted end of this sleeve, a scraper disk secured to the swinging endof this sleeve, and spring held pressers carried by the frame shaft inposition to engage and hold theJ fish toward the scraper disk,

lli)

26. A scraping attachment for fish cleaning machines, comprising a shafthaving a vertically pivoting support at one end and constituting a framefor the attachment, a yielding support for the swinging end, a

sleeve rotatively mounted on said frame shaft and constituting a drivingmember, driving means connecting with the pivoted end of this sleeve, ascraper diskysecured to the swinging end of this sleeve, a shieldcarried by the frame shaft and covering the side of the disk which istoward the fish and having an opening exposing a limited area for actionon the lish, and spring held pressers carried by the frame shaft inposition to engage and hold the fish toward the scraper disk. n

27. A scraping device for fish comprising a rotative member having aseries of continuous grooves extending from the periph- Copies of thispatent may be obtained for ery toward the center and having dischargeholes in said grooves.

28. A scraping device for ish comprising a rotative member having aseries of continuous grooves extending from the periphery inwardly, anda shield therefor having an opening exposing a limited area of thescraping surface.

29. A scraping device for fish comprising a rotative member having aseries of continuous grooves extending from the periphery inwardly andhaving discharge holes in said grooves, and a shield for said memberhaving an opening exposing a limited area of the scraping surface.

Signed at Seattle, Washington, this 18th day of April, 1916.

BENJAMIN R. BRIERLY. EDWARD H. WAUGH.

iive cents each, by addressing' the Commissioner of Patents, Washington,D. C.

